In December 2014, I traveled from California to Chapala, MX, for a 10-day art residency, knowing little about the area. Yet, as I arrived to the big lake on the mountain, I was embraced by its high energetic vibration. Discovering its rich history as a healing and spiritual center since indigenous times, I fell in love with the town, the lake, and its people, returning as often as possible thereafter.

Chapala became a place I longed to return and each visit became longer than the last. Eventually, I took a significant step by committing to a year-long lease on a spacious house, ideal for both my art studio and hosting loved ones.

Chapala offers many and wonderful benefits: the amazing weather, affordable living and art creating costs, welcoming community, rich cultural heritage. Also, its proximity to my family and friends in the SF Bay Area added an extra layer of comfort, making Chapala feel like the perfect place to call home.

In December 2019, I retired from teaching to finally focus full time on my art. I left for Chapala planning on staying 3 months. When COVID struck in March 2020 I decided to stay. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. In that year, I continued creating the InBodied light sculptures and fulfilled a lifelong dream by establishing a co-living community with fellow artists, making Chapala my permanent home.

After losing both my parents, I began contemplating my own mortality and the kind of environment I wanted to grow old in. Exploring various options, I was drawn to the idea of aging within a like-minded community. This led me to discover co-housing, co-living, and intentional living communities worldwide. Coupled with my desire to minimize my ecological footprint and reduce costs, the concept of co-living perfectly aligned with my values and aspirations.

Resin in its natural form is a solid or highly viscous substance that oozes out of a plant.

Synthetic resin, which is what is used for industrial and artistic purposes, is a polymer.

The polymer is liquid and when mixed with a curing agent it becomes hard and solid within 24 hours. 

Resin was a deliberate choice for the sculptures in the InBodied Light Project because of its unique ability to capture and transmit light. Through my specialized technique, resin transforms these sculptures into radiant beings, reminding us of our intrinsic nature as beings of light, intimately connected to the fabric of existence.

Clay. While I’ve worked in many mediums through my 35-year career as a sculptor my first and main love remains clay. I design and sculpt the original InBodied Light sculptures in clay. Then I take them to the foundry to continue the process.  

The original clay sculpture goes to a foundry for mold making, then cast in resin, combined with a pigment formula, and mixed media. The bronze component, for those sculptures that include bronze, is cast separately pouring molten bronze into its mold and leaving it there to cool down and solidify. 

Messages from the Beyond. I was born with the ability to see (clairvoyant), know (claircognizant), and hear (clairaudient) beyond the physical reality. In 2017 I had yet another and higher spiritual awakening and I began receiving direct messages, in words and images, about new work I was to create. From 2017-2023 I created this large project that it includes over 50 sculptures.

We are, in truth, light beings. These sculptures come to remind us, to show us, that within our bodies of flesh and bones we are light. This light permeates all and everything connecting all there is.

I was born with a deep sense that there’s a reality beyond what meets the eye. It felt like a longing to remember something profound that had slipped from my memory and consciousness. My life long spiritual journey seeking answers brought me to self-discovery learning to trust my intuition and embrace the truth that resonated within me. Ultimately, I arrived at a simple yet profound realization:  amidst the diversity of religious traditions and cultures, there exists a timeless message of unity. We are all interconnected, radiant beings of light, inherently divine. This universal truth became the cornerstone of my spiritual understanding, guiding me toward a deeper sense of purpose and connection with the world around me.

Yes. I was born to a very secular Jewish family with no connection or interest to anything beyond the physical reality. I was quite different as I was very aware of entities around us that my family called “Zahava’s vivid imagination” and asked me to stop talking about it. 

My family dismissed what they deemed my “vivid imagination” and urged me to stop talking about the entities I was seeing and hearing. I complied throughout the rest of my childhood, but in my twenties my spiritual quest continued in silence. Then, in 2021, a message arrived, urging me to bare my soul to the world: “To spread the message of Light and Love, you must walk naked in the streets of the world.” Honoring my commitment to this project I wrote my journey and the essence of the InBodied Light project in eight chapters. You can read it HERE.

One of the messages I received immediately after asking me to be completely transparent and authentic, was asking me to change the way I wrote my name from Zahava to ZaHaVa. I still am not clear what is the reason behind it but I’ve learned to completely trust what comes from above. I’m sure that at some point, if necessary for the project, it will be revealed. 

Truly, this project belongs to all of us. While it flowed through me and I physically created it, its purpose is to amplify the message of Love and Light that permeates every corner of our world. The vision is to have these embodiments of Light present in households and institutions across the globe, radiating transformation through their very presence.

You can be part of this collective movement in various ways:

1. Purchase a sculpture to support the cause.
   
   
2. Make a donation through the Charter for Compassion global organization.
   
   
3. Assist in connecting with venues for exhibitions.
   
   
4. Spread the word among your network and beyond, sharing on social media and elsewhere.
   
   
5. Arrange interviews where I can share more about the project and its mission.
   
   

Your ideas and contributions are invaluable. Please share any thoughts or suggestions you have to help advance our shared mission of spreading Love and Light throughout the world.